There are patterns within every aspect of the game. If you can pick out patterns amongst a team, or even within a player, you can build a force against that entity, better preparing yourself for the win. An example lies within the RB who is a great player until he gets hit hard. Or the defense that is at its worse when they have a 3 point lead. If you can recognize basic patterns within a team or a player, you can put your team in the position with the best chances of winning. And you must remember that it is all about chances. The team that goes undefeated, did so because they understood where their best chances lie. The Patriots are good regardless of their personnel on the field because the team as a whole understands that this is a game of chances. You make your decisions based on where your best chances lie. The location of your best chances changes with personnel and situations, but the philosophy that calls upon it stays the same.
The philosophy's underlying, general purpose is to have the most points on the board at the end of the game. This overall philosophy( to score more), branches off to an infinite many other philosophies within the game. All teams, regardless of their status (winners, losers, or champions) start with this philosophy. Every player on the field, from nearly the first moment they started playing the game, understood that they wanted to score more points than the other team(s). The lineman, the linebacker, or even the long snapper understood this philosophy prior to understanding any other aspect of the game. Every other philosophy of the game is to accomplish this goal.
How much you win depends deeply on how you play your chances. How many chances do you have to win a game? Although the game is extremely complicated, and people spend hours and hours deciphering stats, plays and future outcomes, each and every game starts the same: one team gets the ball and the other team defends their end zone at the start). A winning team should be prepared to play effectively for both situations. And yes, how a game is played varies dependent on whether or not you get the ball first. A team that fully understands that they need to understand two approaches to a game heightens its chances of winning. This concept can be hard to preach to a team that believes that their chances of winning cannot rely on just a flip of the coin. I don't believe that the game can be decided by a coin flip, but that a teams chances of winning changes at different parts of the game, and a game which starts with a coin flip, indicates that the game takes its first turn at what results of the coin flip.
If every game starts the same, is it not possible to scope your team for that guaranteed outcome? Most coaches prepare an offense and a defense. An offense that exploits holes in a defense and the vice versa. This is an easier way of coaching, but it is not the most effective way of coaching a winning team. Every player on a team should understand both sides of the ball. Good philosophy of both sides of the ball increases your chances of winning. The offense should understand that a rested defense is a better defense, and the longer you hold the ball, the better your chances to rest your defense. The defense should understand whether or not the offense plays better with a 3 or a 4 point lead. These are just two examples of many of how your philosophy of the game could increase your chances of winning. And always remember that it is about the best chances. Every player should understand that every decision that you make on the field is an opportunity to either increase or decrease your chances of winning. The best teams consist of players that don't give up on this philosophy at any point of the game.
